Compositions to boost fabric softener performance

Abstract

Method for treating a textile under industrial and institutional fabric care conditions to impart softness within a single wash and/or rinse cycle are disclosed. More particularly, the present invention relates to a combination of a liquid or solid fabric conditioning composition and a softening booster for treating a textile to impart softness within a single wash and/or rinse cycle. Compositions employed therein are further disclosed.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A method of conditioning and softening fabrics, comprising:
 (a) washing a fabrics in a detergent with a pH range of about 7 to about 14; 
 (b) contacting the fabrics with a fabric softening composition comprising from about 10 wt-% to about 55 wt-% of one or more softening agents; 
 (c) contacting the fabrics with a softening booster composition comprising a quaternary ammonium compound; and 
 (d) drying the fabrics, 
 wherein the contacting the fabrics with the fabric softening composition is either before or after the contacting the fabrics with the softening booster composition. 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the softening booster composition has a %-actives concentration in use of from about 0.1% to about 40%. 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the softening booster composition is a dialkyl quaternary compound. 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the fabric softening composition further comprises a surfactant, the surfactant is selected from the group comprising of nonionic ethoxylated surfactants, quaternary surfactants, and a mixture thereof. 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the fabric softening composition comprises a quaternary ammonium compound in the amount of about 10 wt-% to about 45 wt-% and an amino-functionalized silicone compound in the amount of about 1 wt-% to about 20 wt-%. 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 5 , wherein the fabric softening composition comprises at least one of amidoamine quaternary ammonium, ester quaternary ammonium, dimethyl ditallowamine, imidozoline quaternary amine and mixtures thereof. 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the fabric softening composition further comprises a solidification agent and/or a surfactant. 
     
     
       8. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the percent actives ratio of the fabric softening composition to the softening booster composition is between about 2:1 to about 1:2. 
     
     
       9. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the pH of the fabric softening composition is in the range of about 2 to about 8 and the pH of the softening booster composition is in the range of about 2 to about 10. 
     
     
       10. A method of softening fabrics, comprising:
 (a) contacting the fabrics with a liquid or solid fabric softening composition comprising from about 10 wt-% to about 55 wt-% of one or more softening agents and a softening booster composition comprising a quaternary ammonium compound in a rinse cycle; and 
 (b) drying the fabrics; 
 wherein the softening booster composition comprises in a use solution on an actives % basis from about 0.1% to about 40% of a quaternary ammonium compound and the softening booster composition is added in sequential dosing either before or after the fabric softening composition in said rinse cycle. 
 
     
     
       11. The method of  claim 10 , wherein the fabric softening composition comprises at least one of amidoamine quaternary ammonium, ester quaternary ammonium, dimethyl ditallowamine, imidozoline quaternary amine and a mixture thereof and an amino-functionalized silicone compound. 
     
     
       12. The method of  claim 10 , wherein the one or more softening agents of the fabric softening composition is about 10 wt-% to about 45 wt-% quaternary ammonium component and about 1 wt-% to about 20 wt-% polydimethyl siloxane. 
     
     
       13. The method of  claim 10 , wherein the percent actives ratio of the fabric softening composition to the softening booster composition is between about 2:1 to about 1:2.